• The Princess and the Goblin

  • By: George Macdonald
  • Narrated by: Peter Joyce
  • Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (435 ratings)

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The Princess and the Goblin  By  cover art

The Princess and the Goblin

By: George Macdonald
Narrated by: Peter Joyce
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Publisher's summary

Revolutionary for the time in encouraging children to think like children, the adventure of Princess Irene and Curdie, the boy miner, was to influence generations of writers, including Chesterton and Tolkien. Overflowing with fantastic ideas and images to delight the young and allegory to inspire their morality The Princess and the Goblin has remained one of the most exciting tales for over 100 years.

Irene lives in a castle on a mountain, under which there is a labyrinth of tunnels inhabited by Goblins. Also, within the hillsides, there is a group of miners digging for precious metals. When the Goblins try to kidnap the Princess and flood the mines, it is up to Curdie, the boy miner, and Irene’s great-great-great grandmother to use their wit and resources to defeat the wicked plan.

‘I for one can really testify to a book that has made a difference to my whole existence, which helped me to see things in a certain way from the start.... Of all the stories I have read, it remains the most real, the most realistic, in the exact sense of the phrase the most like life. It is called The Princess and the Goblin, and is by George MacDonald.‘
—G.K. Chesterton.

©2007 Assembled Stories (P)2007 Assembled Stories

What listeners say about The Princess and the Goblin

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Classic Fairy Tale for All Ages

I don't normally read "chldren's literature, and was drawn to George MacDonald only because C.S. Lewis and Tolkien had expressed admiration for him. Now I see why: his rich, often offbeat, Celtic imagination, his charming story full of mythic symbols, the sense of invisible worlds being very real, but only to those who are open to them, and the lessons learned by the characters, all make this a truly exceptional tale. In my opinion, it's far superior to Harry Potter, for example. partly because of its profound moral and mythic insight. The characters in this story learn lessons in a way that is not at all didactic, and certainly not "Victorian." A total delight for (to borrow a phrase from Harold Bloom) intelligent children of all ages.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Must read for fans of Tolkien and Lewis

If I had heard of George MacDonald's stories before becoming a writer (circa 2014) I don't remember it. The first time I remember hearing about them was when I was talking to a nice older lady at my church who asked me what I like to do. When I told her I like writing, especially fantasy and fairytale retellings, she immediately said I should check out MacDonald. I was happily surprised because, while I've told many people that I'm a writer and what I like to write, and they've acted supportive of my interests, few, if any of those same people, have recommended books to me. It's been a solid year, if not two since that lady recommended George MacDonald to me, but I promised myself I would check it out, and I finally got around to it.

While I probably would have enjoyed The Princess and the Goblin more when I was a child, I still found it highly charming as an adult. I remember reading once that MacDonald's writing inspired/influenced C. S. Lewis and Tolkien (among other writers) and I felt while I was reading that the writing style of this story reminded me a lot of the style of "The Hobbit" and "Roverrandom" insofar as the flow of it and the way the narrator comments on things. I generally enjoy that style, so it was a nice thing to be reminded of. The characters were silly and fun, and I also like the way little morals were slipped in, especially the views on believe vs. unbelief. While this is not a new favorite of mine, I did find it likable enough that I am interested in reading more of MacDonald's works, and will try not to take two more years to do so. XD

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love Peter Joyce

A splendid performance with so many voices!
Glad I found this gem of a story in the midst of the Information Age. Thanks to Audible for making old classics available in an updated fashion along with all the current writings.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Starts skipping badly in chapter eight

Please fix the skipping problem... it starts in chapter 8 and its a lot. Ruins the experience.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

stupendous

what a story!!! so many pictures of belief, the kindness and tender care of God, and how to be a truly good princess and young man with integrity.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Fantasy with Strong Characters

A great fantasy story with strong positive role models for both girls, boys and frankly adults should study the morals in this book as well.

The Princess is heroic and the Miner Boy is just as strong.
The story involves themes of trust, self sacrifice and respect for others based in their actions not their status.

If you like Narnia, The Hobbit or other fantasy stories you'll love this.

A wonderful tale that should be far more famous.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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The ubiquity of His kind care!

George was a stunning gifted writer; it’s obvious that he “felt” the words as wrote!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Inspired the The Inklings and Readers Today

George Macdonald is a must for anyone fighting the facedown, feed-it-it-to-me culture and looking to inspire imagination. Read all of his works and often! The narrator did an appropriate job conveying the story. The musical interludes at chapter breaks helped infuse the whimsy into the sorry. May all hearts who hear this work be expanded!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Classic when released, not compelling for me

More like a child’s fairytale than The Hobbit, which I was told it was similar to - a classic for its role in the evolution of fantasy, but not something I would recommend to a friend - voice acting was pretty good, but I did find the voice he chose for the young princess mildly annoying

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable Story

I really enjoyed reading/hearing this with my eleven year old son. Hope to read more by the same author

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